Spain’s DGT To Make A Change To Historic Vehicle Rules

Spain’s General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has devised a reform of vehicle classification regulations in agreement with the Ministry of Industry, the Autonomous Communities and the Spanish Federation of Antique Vehicles (FEVA).

The aim of such a reform is to encourage the preservation of Spain's automotive cultural and industrial heritage. The proposed measure, set to be incorporated into the new Historic Vehicle Regulation draft, expected to be approved in the autumn, seeks to streamline bureaucratic processes and reduce costs.

According to Francisco de las Alas Pumairiño, the Deputy Director of Regulations at the DGT, “This new regulation will be approved in the summer of 2023 and will be in force in autumn”. He also declared that the current registration fee of 800 euros for classifying a car as historic would be significantly reduced to a rate ranging from 80 to 90 euros. The fundamental requirement for a vehicle to qualify as historic is that it must be over 30 years old.

The DGT's decision to pursue this reform is driven by the need to modernise a complex regulation known as the ‘Reglamento de Vehiculos Historicos’, which dates back to 1995, which has deterred many Spaniards from initiating the necessary procedures to preserve their cars as historically significant vehicles.

The DGT disagrees with the current classification of only 48,000 cars as historic in Spain and instead estimates that around 150,000 vehicles have the potential to be considered as such.

In comparison to other countries, Spain's numbers in this regard are notably low. Germany, for example, has classified 600,000 vehicles as historic, while the figure rises to 1.5 million in the United Kingdom.

The goal of the regulatory reform proposed by the DGT is twofold: to prevent the loss or export of historic vehicles outside the country and to establish regulations similar to those in place in other European Union nations.

The new regulation will also address the possibility of driving historic vehicles on urban roads, subject to circulation restrictions for environmental reasons. This aims to facilitate their use and, consequently, ensure their preservation, as explained by De las Alas Pumairiño.

José Alfredo Álvarez, president of the Veteran Car Club association, declared that “the current procedures are complicated and expensive, very cumbersome. We need a regulation that makes the procedures easier. In addition, criteria must be unified with the ITV so that all the stations have the same scale.”

The upcoming Regulation will introduce two distinct procedures for classifying cars as historic, based on their origin:

Group A: Vehicles registered in Spain

For vehicles registered in Spain, there will be no requirement for a specific licence plate change. Instead, owners can retain their current licence plate due to its historical value. This will eliminate confusion, as some vehicles currently possess both the original licence plate and a historic one. In certain cases, this has resulted in reports of lacking compulsory insurance, depending on which licence plate was noted by authorities, even if the insurance was held under the other licence plate.

Furthermore, the new process will involve a simple change of service, wherein vehicle owners can approach the administration and request their car to be designated for "historical service" while retaining the existing licence plate. A new permit will be issued under these conditions, with a cost of only 28 euros. When undergoing the ITV, ‘Inspecciòn Tècnica de Vehículos’ (the Spanish equivalent of the MOT,) the owner will notify the authorities of this change, and the vehicle will be subject to periodic revisions, always with longer intervals than regular vehicles.

Group B: Imported vehicles without Spanish documentation

Imported vehicles lacking Spanish documentation or being in a semi-abandoned state will undergo an inspection to assess all parts and verify their eligibility for the historic classification. Once cleared, these vehicles will follow the remaining procedures accordingly.

Sources

https://www.lavanguardia.com/motor/actualidad/20230621/8936930/estrategia-dgt-sacar-luz-150000-vehiculos-historicos-escondidos-espana-tsc.html
https://revista.dgt.es/es/reportajes/2022/12DICIEMBRE/1215_Vehiculos-historicos.shtml